Stranger Caught in Amber
by Foolish Mortal
Summary: A Mitsu fic. Sometimes strangers pass each other on opposite sides of the street. Sometimes they look past the rain and see each other and in that, they see themselves.


Hi, I think my mind is trying to put off finishing The Angel by giving me other stories to write. I think I've planned out two more stories in this one week! Well, this pairing doesn't come out much but I've been giving it some thought after I saw Mizunagi and Itsuki in the later part of C.F. so I decided to do a fic. So here you are:

**Disclaimer: I do not own Juvenile Orion or any of its characters.**

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He liked this tiny coffee shop with its old scarred wooden booths and warm dusty lights. He stopped by sometimes after school and did his work; the waitresses came by to dutifully refill his cup and let him stay there as long as he liked.

"Another paper, Aikawa-san?" one of them would ask as she craned over the scattered schoolbooks and notes. He would nod and she would laugh sympathetically before getting back to her work. He was a favourite with them and he tolerated their chatter and occasional flirtations; they were attracted to his cool eyes and inscrutable face. He didn't really mind; he let their ordinary lives and trivial human troubles envelop him like a cape.

Today, he had stopped by later than usual. The bell chimed tirelessly as opened the door and stepped through, shaking the snow from his jacket. His schoolbag had been abandoned back at his apartment and now as the mug of coffee clinked down in front of him, he wrapped his chilled fingers around the white ceramic and let them become comfortably scalded.

_I've never come here to just sit and relax. _He found himself noticing little things, like the soothing cinnamon honey smell that permeated the air and the dark coffee-stain rings imprinted in his table like tattoos. He let himself unwind as he bathed in the feeling of human auras surrounding him.

He liked it, the soft soothing sensation so unlike the bitter storming auras his fellow psychics possessed. He had tried to keep a human aura with him permanently, as if pressing a flower in a book and preserving it. As with flowers, this one had faded and she had eventually given up on him and left. He could still see the sweep of her red hair as she walked away. He was alone again. He had tried to pick another flower. This one had been blonde. A young man who attended a prestigious academy in town.

Mizunagi's finger's tightened around the mug. _I should have known that flower would fade too. _Mentally he shrugged; if he could still come to the coffee shop from time to time and let these human auras wash over him like ocean surf, it was enough. It was enough for him. He let his consciousness filter through them now. They were so warm, so comforting.

A snag.

His eyes flew open. What was this? Hurriedly, he sent out his awareness again. There. It was like a briar or a twig snagging onto the cloth of his psychic power. _It can't be…_His eyes darted over frantically.

A young man was sitting in a booth across the room; he looked like a student, maybe- indeed, he was wearing the Seika High School uniform, though he had undone the buttons of his dark jacket carelessly. The white shirt underneath looked crumpled; the ruffled pale hair had bits of melted snow clinging to it.

_A psychic? _Mizunagi tentatively sent out a bubble of power and then almost reeled. This young man's mental shields were as hard as adamantine, as impenetrable as steel. Mizunagi spent out a little more power; beads of sweat began to form on his brow. The bubble dodged and wove into the mazelike defenses and traps. Thoughts began to flash by him. Memories. Hints of a formidable psychic power. _He's an E.G.O. _He hadn't been Mind Broken, by the looks of it.

His bubble paused and teetered there, not knowing what to do next. Then suddenly, the psychic's mind snapped shut like a clamp.

Mizunagi came to himself. _What? _He glanced over at the student, who allowed himself a languid sip of coffee as if he had not felt a thing. _Who is he? _Mizunagi's eyes narrowed. _He might be dangerous. _

And yet…the young man's aura was not as harsh as Mizunagi had expected. It was….it was…almost imperceptible, like a slight breeze. He was…different.

_He's interesting._ He remembered the terrible mental guards. _But he scares me; I should go find out who he is. I need to know if he could be an enemy._ Mizunagi's mind was made up. He took a long draught of coffee to fortify himself before standing up. He felt confident enough to stride over and introduce himself but as the young man looked up, Mizunagi's mouth suddenly went dry but thankfully his composure kicked in automatically, like a pre-designed programme.

"I noticed your uniform," he said smoothly. "You're from Seika, right?"

"Yes," the student replied and set down his mug. The light flared the colour in his eyes; they were amber.

"I'm from Daigoku High," Mizunagi told him. "Aren't our school's basketball teams having a match this week?"

"Yeah," the other replied. "Two of my friends are on the team. You thinking of going?"

"Maybe."

The young man nodded and they fell silent.

"Oh, I'm Aikawa Mizunagi," he said and held out a hand.

_I bet you are_, Itsuki thought sourly but shook Mizunagi's hand amiably. He was having a terrible day; what right did this person have to come over and cheat him out of his duly deserved gloom? _Ah well,_ he thought as he looked at Mizunagi again. _Perhaps I need some company to cheer me up._

Itsuki's mouth quirked. "May I buy you a drink?" He chuckled when Mizunagi stared at him impassively. "We're both too young to be drinking anyway."

Mizunagi tried to smile. "Yeah."

Itsuki waved to the place at the other side of the table. "Come, sit. I insist."

Mizunagi settled himself across Itsuki, who propped up his chin in his hand and looked over at him for a moment. A waitress came over and refilled Mizunagi's empty mug.

Itsuki waited until she was out of an earshot. "So, you're an E.G.O too, huh?"

A huge weight fell on Mizunagi's chest; he almost choked on his coffee. "_What?_" His infallible composure saved him. "What do you mean by-"

"-Come on now; let's not keep secrets. I felt you sensing my power from across the room."

"Oh." He felt embarrassed. "I did not realize I was so obvious."

Itsuki waved it away. "You pulled it off quite impressively, actually. I was almost fooled but," -he grinned- "Living in a psychic family has tuned my senses somewhat."

_Psychic family? _"What did you say your name was again?" Mizunagi asked suspiciously.

"I didn't say," Itsuki replied and sipped his coffee disinterestedly. He put it back down with a clink. "So." The charming trademark smirk again. "Are you fighting in the Aquarian Age?"

"No."

"Hmph. Pity." His eyes flicked over Mizunagi. "We could use you."

He felt uncomfortable under Itsuki's unconcealed scrutiny. "Who is this 'we'?"

"Good question," Itsuki complimented him. "I'm ordering biscotti; did you want any?" He flagged down a waitress and gave her his order without waiting for an answer.

_He asks too many questions,_ Itsuki thought to himself.

_Then do not be so mysterious,_ Mizunagi answered.

Itsuki almost yelped. "Don't do that!"

"And why not?" He tried to smooth his expression, make it innocuous.

"It's rude!"

"Evading my questions is rude too."

"Asking questions is worse," Itsuki shot back.

"You make a person want to ask questions about you!" he retorted and his indefatigable composure sputtered for a moment.

Itsuki stared at him a moment and then began to laugh. "Do I?" he asked. "I _am_ sorry."

"You aren't," Mizunagi replied coolly.

"You're right," Itsuki conceded. "I'm not."

Inwardly, Mizunagi scowled. _If this is the kind of person the Aquarian Age spits out, then I want no part in it._

_What kind of personality?_ Itsuki wanted to know.

"I thought you said that was rude," Mizunagi said reproachfully.

"I'm a rude person," Itsuki replied unrepentantly. He sat back and tilted his head to one side inquisitively. "Is that what you dislike?"

Mizunagi laced his fingers together thoughtfully and compressed his mouth. "You've done nothing else but dodge around our conversation all this time."

"Lack of decorum," Itsuki concluded. "That's one."

"You even treat this as a game."

"Lack of solemnity." He ticked it off on his fingers. "That's two."

"I give up on you," Mizunagi said disgustedly though his voice still maintained its smooth neutral tone.

"Defeatist attitude," the other deduced. "He arched a brow. His amber eyes gleamed. "Approaching a stranger and asking too many personal questions. Lecturing said stranger when he doesn't divulge the expected answers."

_L-Lecturing?_ Mizunagi thought indignantly.

Itsuki shook his head. "You're too trusting." The biscotti came, rich golden-brown and studded with almonds. He chose one and dunked it into the coffee before jamming it into his mouth._  
_"Too trusting?" He had always prided himself in his detachment from others; he had always thought he could see people's actions as easily as chess moves. He thought he could manipulate the game-board pieces as skillfully as any master.

Itsuki pushed the plate forward. "Have one," he prompted.

Perhaps he meant it as a truce offering. Mizunagi accepted.

They sat in comfortable silence as they drank and ate. Itsuki looked up sometimes to catch a flash of Mizunagi's purple-black eyes. Reluctant understanding passed between them.

Two psychics in a terrible world. Two psychics who were nestled inside a small warm little restaurant and knew that people were dying even at this second- blood was coloring the glittering snow outside. But inside the shop with its loud waitresses and cramped wooden booths and sweetened milky coffee was a fragment of false peace from the human world. They were foreigners here. They were intruders trying to snatch up a bit of tranquility from this place even though it was not theirs to have. They were thieves.

All too soon, the plate had nothing but crumbs.

Itsuki nodded his head and rose. "Aikawa-san, it has been-"

Mizunagi held up a hand. He did not raise his dark eyes to meet Itsuki's. "Don't say anything. The moment we start talking, we end up arguing. I'd like to end my night on good terms."

Itsuki blinked and smiled involuntarily. "I like you," he said. "Let's do this again sometime."

Then, he was gone. By the time Mizunagi looked up, he was already at the door calling out a jaunty farewell to the waitress at the register.

The bell chimed as the door opened. Shut.

Mizunagi looked over at Itsuki's receipt. The signature was illegible.

He sighed and drained his mug. After all this, he still didn't know the young man's name.

-

"I'm home!" Itsuki said as he shut the door. His mother came from the kitchen; her business suit was wrinkled and he could tell she had been spending long hours at the E.G.O institute again, just as he had skipped school today to work extended shifts at one of his jobs. They had to work their lives away; how else could they pay Haruna's hospital bills? Identical pairs of amber eyes carried dark circles under them.

"Itsuki where have you-" She froze. "Whose aura is that?"

Itsuki stopped in mid-stride. "What?"

"I feel someone's aura on you," she snapped. "Whose is it, Naoya? You _know_ you can't afford to lower your shields, even in public!"

"I-I don't know whose it is. It must be Kaname's."

"You think he's your friend but he's a Darklore too," she reminded him sharply.

His shoulders sagged. A memory passed over his eyes. "But…but we were out on the roof today and the breeze was so warm. And," –his voice faded- "And we just…sat there enjoying the sun. No war. No Aquarian Age. No death. We…we were only…people, for a small moment."

"Naoya…"

He smiled apologetically. "I…suppose I might have slackened my shields somewhat."

He could see her struggle. A corner of her mouth pursed and she ruffled his hair. "It's alright," she said more gently. "But don't let it happen again."

"Yes, Mother."

-

He closed the door to his room and leaned against it with a thankful sigh. She didn't know. She didn't know about-

"-Aikawa Mizunagi," he whispered. An E.G.O powerful enough to penetrate Itsuki's shields. He remembered those awful blank eyes staring across the table at him. Suddenly, Itsuki shivered and rubbed his arms.

"_Are you fighting in the Aquarian Age?"_

"_No."_

"_Hmph. Pity."_

_I didn't mean that. I wanted to ask you how you had managed to evade the Aquarian Age. I wanted to tell you to keep away from it. I wanted to know how you had thwarted the Mind Breakers all by yourself. I…I was jealous of you; I was jealous of your peace._

He thought of the tingling he had sensed in his consciousness. _How did you break through my barriers so easily? Are you as strong as I am? Stronger?_

He didn't want to think about that.

_Aikawa Mizunagi, I hope we don't meet again. _Itsuki grimaced. _You're an unchecked E.G.O. and I might be sent after you. You're… _different_ and it would be a pity to destroy you._

Itsuki reached out and turned off the light. He looked out the window, a papery square lit up by the street lamp outside.

It was snowing again.

-

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Mizunagi's former girlfriend popped up in my head looking like Asuka-san from Neo Genesis Evangelion. And the young man attending a prestigious academy? Ha, I've been watching too much Gakuen Heaven! (if you haven't seen it yet, youtube it and watch the sweetest BL anime you'll ever see!)

If you're you-ing the tube while looking up G.Heaven, type up Dragonforce while you're at it. They're a really cool 'fantasy-metal' band from the U.K. I recommend Valley of the Damned (I think that's the one I saw on Youtube.)

Anywah, I hope the next chapter will come out soon enough! Chu!


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